1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle traction mats and, more particularly, to a vehicle traction mat and associated method for providing vehicle operators with an easy and convenient mechanism of providing additional traction to the tires of a vehicle stuck in snow, mud and the like.
2. Prior Art
Traction mats have been used by automobile vehicles for many years to enable the vehicle to be driven out of a rut or pothole by gaining additional traction from materials placed into the path of the drive wheel. Numerous such means have been used by persons stuck in ice or snow, including sand, ashes, boards, burlap bags, pieces of carpeting, tire chains, expanded metal and the like. Such makeshift means are generally ineffective, being immediately caught and thrown out by the rotating traction wheels, subjecting bystanders to possible injury from the flying objects. In addition, the prior art is replete with mats having indentations in their surface, mats formed of various materials, including sheet metal with openings or indentations formed therein, and, in some cases, studs have been fastened to the mat. Such devices of the prior art have proven unsatisfactory for numerous reasons, including being overly expensive to manufacture, unsafe to handle because of sharp edges, etc., snow or mud being packed between the protuberances on the mat causing loss of traction.
One prior art example shows a traction mat that has a plurality of pins captivated in a resilient mat, each pin having a head on each of the opposing ends, and a washer between the head and the mat. The mat provides increased traction to a vehicle stuck in snow and the like by seizing both the tire and the ground with the heads of each pin in pivotal action, as the washer pivots and locks the heads in a gripping position for the increased traction. A rigid steel start plate of a width less than the width of the tire is attached to one end of the mat for providing initial impetus to position the mat under the tire. Although effective in concept, the above noted invention is overly complicated in design, making it prohibitively expensive for mass production and general consumer acceptance. Furthermore, once on the mat, there is no provision for guiding the wheel of the vehicle along a further course down the mat's surface, which could lead to the wheel slipping off of the mat and losing traction once more.
Accordingly, a need remains for a vehicle traction mat and associated method in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a traction mat that is convenient and easy to use, is durable yet lightweight in design, and provides users with a simple yet effective method to prevent their vehicles from becoming hopelessly stuck in snow, on ice, in mud, sand or any place one's vehicle tires are spinning.